Aircraft body



June 4, 1935. J B. FORD $003,433

AIRCRAFT BODY Filed July 1, 1932 2 Shee'tE-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY June 4,1935. J. B. FORD 2,003,433

AIRCRAFT BODY Filed July 1, 1952 2 Sheets-Shet 2 INVENTOR. m

% ATTORNEY BY/FB chimes Patented June 4, 1935 V i I 5 2 003 433 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE AIRCRAFT BODY James B. Ford, Tulsa, Okla.Application July 1, 1932, Serial No. 620,500

7 Claims. (01. 244-30) 'Thisinvention relates to aircraft and moreparparent from a reading of the following specificaticularly to animproved fuselage for an airplane tion, taken in connection with theaccompanying although the construction may be embodied in a sheets ofdrawings, and outlined in thesubjoined flying boat hull, a pontoon, orany portion of airclaims.

5 craft or other craft for which it is found adapt- The invention isillustrated in the accompany- 5 able. ing drawings wherein: A

One object of the invention is to provide a Figure 1 is a side elevationof the improved fuselage having a shell formed of longitudinallyfuselage.

extending shell panels or strips of such construc- Figure 2 is a sideelevation upon an enlarged tion that while they may be firmly securedtoeach scale. 1

other and to an inner frame, fasteners for the Figure 3 isa'diagrammatic view taken transstrips will not project outwardly throughthe versely through the fuselage along the line 3--3 of strips andtherefore will be concealed from view. Fig. 2. A

Another object of the invention isto provide a Figure 4 is an enlargedfragmentary sectional fuselage wherein shell panels and longerons,bulkview taken through the rear portion of the fuse l5 heads, and endrings will be firmly held in engagelage along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

ment with each other and thereby form a staunch Figure 5 is a sectiontaken along the line 56 and durable structure capable of sustaining ofFigure 2. t

stresses to which it may be subjected. Figure 6 is a fragmentarysectional view illus- Another object of the invention is to providehating the means for supporting flooring and 20 the fuselage with frontand rear sections which other mechanism within a cockpit of thefuselage. whenin place impart proper streamlining to the Figure 7 is afragmentary sectional view illusfuselage and are so secured that whilethey will be trating the manner in which bulkheads forming firmly heldin place, may be removed when necesa part of the frame are constructedand mounted,

Another object of the invention is to soform Figure 8 is a fragmentarysectional view taken the front section that it serves as a cowling foralong the line 88 of Figure 2. I an engine, air being permitted to passthrough This-improved fuselage is formed of metal in the front sectionto cool the engine but fumes or order that it will be fireproof andwhilelight in 430 flames being prevented from passing rearwardly weight. verystrong. It tapers rearwardly and into the main body of the fuselage. hasa main body 10 and front and rear sections Another object of theinvention is to provide H and 52. Referring to Figs. '1 and 2 it will be;bulkheads for bracing the fuselage intermediate seen that the body andfront sectioneachhas 9. its length which are secured to both thelongerons shell formed of longitudinally extending panels o and goresand serve very effectively to prevent or strips whereas the rear sectionconsists of a '35 the fuselage from being twisted out of shape, by coneformed of sheetmetal. While the fuselage local concentrated loads in oron the fuselage. has been shown circular in cross section it willAnother object of the invention is to have a beunderstood that it may beof any shape de- -portion of the frame within the cockpit or cabinsired. I

I40 removable and have mounted thereon flooring The main section H] hasan inner frame to 40 seats, an instrument board, and controls withoutwhich the shell panels are secured and this frame securing means for thesame extending through consists of upperand lower longerons l3 and M theshell and detracting from the appearance of secured to a suitable numberof bulkheads or open the fuselage. frames l5 and spaced from each otherlongitudi- Another object is to provide a stressed shell nally of thebody. The panels or strips l6 and 5 type fuselage with an open trusstype motor mount the longerons are formed of metal channels anddetachably connected to it so as to make the referring to Fig. 3 it willbe seen that side flanges engine and its accessories available forinspection of the panels extend inwardly while the longeand repair whenthe cowling is removed. rons are substantially trough shaped and haveStill another object of the invention is to protheir side flanges facingoutwardly. Rivets firmvide a fuselage of all metal construction which 1yhold flanges of the panels in face to face encan be easily assembled andwhen assembled will gagement with each other and since certain of be ofa streamline construction and very strong thepanels straddle thelongerons, rivets passed and durable. through their flanges can alsoengage through Additional objects and advantages will be apflanges ofthe longerons and firmly secure these 5 sary. and i 25 v 19. need 24 a.

panels to the longerons. Each bulkhead consists of a suitable number ofarcuate sections I! of sheet metal disposed about a center plate orsection l8 to which they are secured by rivets passed through contactingside flanges and referring to Figure 7 it will be seen that the sectionsI! have flanges at their ends secured in flat contacting engagement withthe longerons by rivets or other suitable fasteners.

Thesesections llare also. provided with radially extending cleats [9which projectoutw'ardly and are riveted against opposite side faces ofthe inwardly extending side flanges of the shell panels. Any number ofcleats desired maybe provided. By employing the construction set forthabove there will be provided a body-having a strong frame to whichlongitudinally extending shell panels or strips are secured to form ashell and since all of the rivets are within the body the shell willhave a substantially smooth ou't'erstu face; At.a,suitable,.pointintermediate the length of the body a, 'cockpitflor cabin is to beformed be? tween bulkheads and in between the. front and .a steeringcolumn, control pedals, instrument board and engine controls. Theseelements have n t een ill strat d ihe are t usual q ipment of anairplane. The rings may also serve ssi pmr sferdee andwi frames. 7

F ont. an e re sefih body. we closed f 2. fe m jef Strong s e t metal,themed. m s h ed t p v dexm sieiaeh blyl enhe iiriet efi teee n H andheriese Zieerrrirs ereerwa d nr i e ne annular flange 21 which encirclesforward ends of pane item! is tmlr eeeured i e m y rivets 28. The headgiclosing the rear end of Figure order that it may fit within and pro-.i idemean .191. d eebabl connectin t conical ars etiex e ii ie. c .7

front section l l serves as an engine cowl eizwhieeeetie mr esr e formedof fnetal channels similar to that from which, the .panels l5 areformed, These panels have their ends riveted or otherwise firmly securedtorings tzand aredetachably connected to ring 33. Referif ngie fi re 8i?W b see hat t ring 2 .l ee s a a st the r m 6.: of. ev e v a isdetachably connected thereto by any suitable use 9?. eewli e i eiene eeuiemebfle b y .iei hl as sh w .eenr t en l at 2 which is eeeeseilel frm, u ei .t QiJE F h l' f file lo l eei enri b firm s d at t front of thebodybut it can be removedwhen ;-ri e. e, A t nu he eew 'm r e left freef o mj the rings and hingedly mounted in emem er it ey ift d a enenginejwiihin :the cowljnspected, A suitable supporting frame l ra eeineei t L the cowlas in cated by dotted lines in Figure he radial; typeismounted with- Z'andaboHt -the enginefsupportis disposed a; frustroconical deflector 33 formed of sheet metal and bearing againt the wallsof the cowl back of the louvers 34. By this arrangement, air enteringthe cowl through its front end and serving to cool the engine, will beguided rearwardly towards the sides of the cowl and out through thedischarge openings of the louvers. Therefore a very good draft of airwill be provided for an air cooled motor. If the engine is water cooled,a radiator of a conventional construction may be mounted in the frontring and air pass through the same into the cowl and out through thelouvers.

I have therefore provided a fuselage which is of an all metalconstruction and will be very strong and at the same time of lightweight. I

- have further provided a fuselage having a main it should be understoodthat numerous modifications and other materials might easily be used byworkers skilled in the art to which thiscase relates, without departingfrom the spirit of the venti n Whatl claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is;

1. An aircraft fuselage comprising a body having a shell oflongitudinally extending panels having inturned side flanges securedagainst each other, heads for ends of said body having marginal flangessecured against the panels, and front and rearsections for the fuselagealigned with the body and secured against said heads, the

front section being open at its front end to'admit 7 air and Walls ofthe front section having discharge openings formed therein forescapeof-air, and an annular deflector in said front sectionbearingagainst its walls back of the discharge openings and serving todirect air'towards the same.

2. In an aircraft fuselage, a body comprising longitudinally extendinglongerons'spaced from each other circumferentially of the body,bulklheads spaced from each other longitudinallyof the body and securedto lcngerons, the longerons being formed of channel sections and havingtheir side flanges facing outwardly and thebulkheads each consisting ofa center section,- circumferentiallyextending marginal sections,saidsections having marginal flanges secured to each other and the-marginal sections having end flanges secured against said longerons,and a shell about saidframe formed of longitudinally extending panels ofchannel section having inwardly projecting side flanges secured in faceto face engagement with each other, certain of said panels straddlingthe 'longerons and having their side flanges-secured against themarginalsec- ;tions of the bulkheads and --projecting radially therefrom instraddling relation to side flanges of the panels and secured againstside faces thereof.

-3. en aircraft fuselage constructed in-aocordi a nce with claim2-and-havingamotor mount of the open truss-type united to the front endof the ,body by-fasteningmeans which embrace'directly the front bulkheadand adjacent the ends of -the longer-on s, and thus indirectly theshellof the barrel, J

4. In an aircraft body of the type-descrlbed in .claim ;1,-;an; engine;cowl which a detachable extension of the body barrel and supported atits rear end by the front head of the body, and a cowling ring for thefront end of the engine cowl bracing the front portion of the enginecowl and forming an entering edge for the fuselage.

5. An aircraft body of the type set forth in claim 1 having a frontsection extending forwardly from the front head a suflicient distance tocompletely enclose an engine having a support at its back connected withthe front head, said front section being open at its front end providedwith outlet louvers in its walls spaced slightly from its rear end andalso having internal deflectors to guide cooling air outwardly throughthe louvers after passing an engine.

6. An aircraft body comprising a main central part, a detachable forwardextension and a detachable rearward extension, said central part being ashell comprising longitudinally extending shell panels united to eachother and also internal longerons extending longitudinally of the bodyand united to the shell panels with internal tubular ribs extendingcircumferentially of the body, said ribs being united to the longeronsand to the shell panels and within the body sub-framings united to thelongerons and the ribs, said sub-trainings being disposed so as tosupport the concentrated loads on or within the body and distribute thestresses imposed by said loads to the longerons and ribs and thence tothe body shell.

7. In an aircraft fuselage, a body having a shell consisting oflongitudinally extending panels having side flanges secured in face toface engagement with each other, heads fitting the front and rear endsof said body, each head having marginal portions secured to the ends ofthe panels, said assembly forming an integral stress bearing unit, andfront and rear cowling sections for the fuselage alinedwith the body,and fasteners detachably connecting the cowling sections to the bodywithout transmitting body stresses to the cowling sections, the frontcowling section forming an engine enclosure and cooling duct and beingformed with front openings for entrance of air and side openings forexit of air.

JAMES B. FORD.

